My Baba is the Best
  • Published: 2 August 2022
  • ISBN: 9781761046568
  • Imprint: Puffin
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $19.99

My Baba is the Best

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A joyous picture book celebrating the special bond between fathers and daughters, and the fun times they share – by multiple AFL Premiership player and inspirational community leader Bachar Houli.

An exuberant and joyful picture book about family and fathers and daughters from multiple AFL Premiership player Bachar Houli. A feel-good Father’s Day book and a gorgeous celebration of the richness and joy of their cultural and family life.
My baba has a big beard and a big smile. He gives the best hugs and never sits still.
Gardening, jogging, fishing, watching movies or going camping . . . Baba and I do lots of things together.
My baba is the best. I love my baba!
A joyous picture book celebrating the special bond between fathers and daughters, and the activities they share – by multiple AFL Premiership player and inspirational community leader Bachar Houli.
  • Published: 2 August 2022
  • ISBN: 9781761046568
  • Imprint: Puffin
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $19.99
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About the authors

Bachar Houli

A triple Premiership player and All-Australian on-field, the mark Bachar Houli created with his football stretches long beyond the MCG and Punt Road.

Houli's ability to mix the modern defensive traits of cover, rebound and provide attack for his team illustrates his versatility and flexibility.

A Vic Metro Under 16 and 18 representative, Houli was drafted by Essendon in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft at selection 42. Playing in a range of roles with the Bombers, Houli was nominated for the NAB Rising Star after an outstanding game in the opening round of 2008. After four years and 26 games at Essendon, the former Western Jet made the move to Richmond at the end of 2010 in search of greater opportunity.

This was achieved over Houli’s first two years at Punt Road. A top five finish in the Best and Fairest in his first year at the Tigers as a running half-back or wing justified the move. Houli played a remarkable 111 games in his first five years with Richmond. A wrist injury limited Houli to 12 games in 2016, but his talent still shone through with five 30-plus possession games.

2017 was a stand-out year for Houli, playing 21 games across the year and averaging 23 disposals per game. He was an integral part in Richmond’s 2017 premiership success and was recognised as one of the best performers of the Grand Final. After an injury interrupted 2018, Houli produced a career best season in 2019, earning his first All-Australian blazer en route to a second Premiership medal. He was second in Norm Smith Medal voting to Dustin Martin – a winning formula for the Tigers as it was in 2017. The coronavirus pandemic brought unprecedented disruption to the 2020 season, but with relocation to Richmond's Gold Coast hub, Bachar made a solid contribution to the campaign, helping to cement The Tigers's legacy as one of the greatest sides of the modern era as he picked up his third Premiership medal, as well as a Jim Stynes Award.

Bachar Houli is as accomplished an AFL footballer as they come, playing 232 games over fifteen seasons and a key role in three Richmond Premiership sides before retiring from football in 2021. Off the field, Bachar was the AFL’s first devout Muslim and helped bring to life a number of initiatives that have generated great community impact in a short time. The Bachar Houli Foundation aims to continue the legacy Bachar and The Tigers have established, nurturing young Islamic footballers aspiring to follow in his footsteps as a footballer and person. Bachar’s love of the outdoors has been brought to life as an ambassador for the Victorian Fisheries Authority, promoting and teaching fishing right across the state.

portrait photo of Bachar Houli

Debby Rahmalia

Debby Rahmalia is an illustrator based in Indonesia. She has been drawing for as long as she can remember, spending most of her years growing up doodling on textbook margins and exploring different mediums. She specialises in children’s book illustration where her love for designing quirky and whimsical characters meets her passion for storytelling.

portrait photo of Debby Rahmalia

Praise for My Baba is the Best

Highly recommended.

Liz Derouet, Magpies

Explores the love between a father and his daughter and the value of actively participating in life with them.

Matthew Sims, The Star Weekly

This loving look at the father-daughter bond, just in time for Father’s Day in September, is a delight. Smiling happy faces beam out from every page as they do so many things together. Kids will love recognising the things they do with their fathers, and tell stories of what makes their father the best.

Fran Knight, ReadPlus

Richmond triple premiership player Bachar Houli celebrates the special bonds between fathers and daughters in his first children’s book. The retired AFL star, a dad of three, shows off a talent for storytelling through the eyes of his young daughter Sarah. The pair share a love of camping, fishing, bike riding, games, their Muslim faith and family traditions in the great outdoors. It’s perfect Father’s Day fare.

Geelong Advertiser

As Father's Day approaches, this is a book to share to celebrate the special bond between fathers and daughters, and the fun times they share. My baba has a big beard and a big smile. He gives the best hugs and never sits still. Gardening, jogging, fishing, watching movies or going camping . . . Baba and I do lots of things together. My baba is the best. I love my baba! And while you might think there are many such books available, this one is written by Bachar Houli, not only triple AFL Premiership player for Richmond and All-Australian on-field, but also the first devout Muslim to play the game at that level. So this is a unique opportunity for our Muslim students to see themselves in such a story, demonstrating that their relationships with their dads is pretty much the same as all kids, whilst acknowledging the subtle differences like the special bedtime prayer. Time and time again we hear those who are not from the dominant mainstream WASP community say that they despaired because they never saw anyone like them represented in books or on television - Dylan Alcott addressed it directly in his acceptance speech for Australian of the Year, 2022 - “I used to hate having a disability. I hated it so much. I hated being different and, you know, I didn’t want to be here anymore. I really didn’t… Whenever I turned on the TV or the radio or the newspaper, I never saw anybody like me.”- and while this is gradually being addressed, how delighted young readers will be to see their family reflected in something so special. While we all have more in common than difference, it is the difference that seems to get the attention so by sharing such as this even our youngest readers can start to understand the threads that bind us are so much stronger. Our relationships with our dads are the same no matter who we are, what we look like, what we do or what we believe in.

Barbara Braxton, https://thebottomshelf.edublogs.org/

Discover more

Article
Bachar Houli on writing a picture book, just in time for Father's Day

We spoke with Bachar Houli about his new children’s book, My Baba is the Best.